Good morning, this is Tamara Howie bringing you the main stories and must-reads on Wednesday 20 January. US politics will likely dominate today’s news as Donald Trump’s last day in the White House draws to a close. On home shores, more Australian Open players have tested positive to Covid and the inventor of the internet weighs in on Australia’s proposed media laws.
US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has acknowledged the violent mob that attacked the Capitol earlier this month was “provoked” by Donald Trump. Speaking on the Senate floor, McConnell said, “The mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people.” Meanwhile, two US army national guard members have been removed from the mission to secure Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration because of their connections to far-right militia groups. We’re still waiting to hear who will be in the flurry of presidential pardons Trump is expected to make before Joe Biden is sworn in. Sources suggested that neither the president himself, nor Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, or former aide Steve Bannon would be on the list, but rapper Lil Wayne was among those reportedly expected to receive a pardon or clemency.
US politics is also on the agenda back in Australia, with Labor leader Anthony Albanese accusing the prime minister, Scott Morrison, of “pandering” to Donald Trump and damaging relations with Joe Biden. Albanese warns the Biden administration’s climate policy will leave Australia “totally isolated” on the world stage and calls for Morrison to re-engage with multilateral cooperation after his rhetoric about “negative globalism”. Albanese argues Morrison “went too far” in cultivating the US president “partly out of his affinity with Donald Trump, partly because of the political constituency they share”.
Two more Australian Open players have tested positive to Covid, bringing the total number of cases associated with the event to seven. Sutton also said two previous positive Covid-19 cases that sparked a hard lockdown of some tennis players in quarantine had been reclassified as cases of “viral shedding” linked to previous infection. But he said it was too early to clear the flights the reclassified cases were travelling on, meaning all passengers, including 47 players who were deemed close contacts, must remain in hard lockdown.
Australia
The inventor of the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee, says proposed Australian media laws requiring tech companies Google and Facebook to pay for displaying news content risk setting a precedent that “could make the web unworkable around the world” and undermine the web’s “fundamental principle”.
Australian universities are hoping to see student life return to normal with more in-person classes this year, thanks to vaccine rollouts. Students can expect more face-to-face teaching environments, and even a traditional orientation week for thousands of newer students who missed out last year.
Consumer groups have urged crossbench senators not to approve government legislation tearing up responsible lending laws, describing the idea as a disaster that could drown Australians in debt. But the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, wants the law changed to help the Covid recovery despite the banking royal commission saying it should not be touched.
Former Western Australia children’s court president Denis Reynolds says children need to be treated like children, not criminals. “We’ve got to go back and start addressing the underlying cause … the factors for why young children offend, and place more regard on that principle. That seems to be lost – that we’re dealing with children,” he says.
The world
Italian police have found a 500-year-old copy of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi in a Naples flat and returned it to a museum that had no idea it had been stolen. A 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen goods, after the painting was discovered in his bedroom cupboard.
On his way out of the door, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo has declared China’s policies on Muslims and ethnic minorities in western Xinjiang province constitute a “genocide”, but Pompeo’s determination does not come with any immediate repercussions.
A former civil servant in her 60s has been jailed for more than 43 years for insulting the Thai monarchy, one of the toughest sentences ever passed under the kingdom’s strict lese-majesty law.
Batteries capable of fully charging in five minutes have been produced in a factory for the first time, marking a significant step towards electric cars becoming as fast to charge as filling up petrol or diesel vehicles.
Recommended reads
Helen Sullivan reveals the beauty and the quirks of the sphinx moth, including its unique ability to pollinate the ghost orchid. “Like most insects, sphinx moths are beautiful and revolting. Some species feed on nectar or honey. Others drink the tears of horses and people. The moth’s caterpillar, when frightened, lifts its head and tucks its face into its neck, so that its profile looks like that of the sphinx. It may regurgitate food on to its enemies. Some sphinx moth caterpillars resemble pit vipers. It is one of the only species of moth with a proboscis long enough to pollinate the ghost orchid.”
After 30-year career in the public service, Allison Barnes enrolled in art school, where she found “a different place in the world”. “When you leave work you’re usually an expert in whatever you did. Then you start something new and everyone is younger than you, they know more than you do, they’re probably better at risk-taking, I think they’re better educated. It’s easy to feel intimidated. But remember you have skills that you’ll be able to build on.”
Listen
In 2020 the news media was faced with the dual challenge of covering a pandemic and an avalanche of misinformation. In this episode of Full Story, Guardian Australia editor Lenore Taylor discusses how Australia’s response compared with other countries and the challenges ahead for journalism.
Lenore Taylor on why truth, facts and journalism are more important to democracy than ever
Full Story is Guardian Australia’s daily news podcast. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or any other podcasting app.
Sport
The Indian cricket team is celebrating after defeating Australia at the Gabba for the first time in more than three decades. “Every session we discovered a new hero,” Cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar said of how an untested and inexperienced team, which had so little going for it, managed one of the greatest victories in Test cricket.
England is focused on regaining the Ashes from Australia after Australia’s series loss to India, says England’s head coach Chris Silverwood. “It shows that if we do the basics well and get stuck in, we can beat them,” he said.
Media roundup
“HospoKeeper” should replace “jobkeeper” under a detailed rescue package being pitched to Josh Frydenberg as to help save the hospitality industry, reports the Australian. Victoria saw more businesses fold in 2020 than any other state due to the 112-day lockdown, says the Herald Sun, with 115 Victorian businesses entering external administration. And the Daily Telegraph and Hobart Mercury have revealed how much residents of each state withdrew from their super early last year. More than a million NSW residents withdrew $10bn of their retirement savings early, and Tasmanians cashed out $700m.
Coming up
Prime minister Scott Morrison continues his tour of regional Queensland
Miner BHP will provide its operational review of its first-half. The review may give clues to its first-half earnings due on 16 February.
And if you’ve read this far …
Egyptian security forces have arrested a pastry chef who supplied cupcakes with penis decorations in the state’s attempts to control public morality. The baker was arrested after party-goers, who reportedly requested the decorations, posted photos on social media.
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